tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.comments2017-09-21T11:38:33.475-07:00Oxford SociologyColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03430614811751115687noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-78810099332060077522017-07-09T03:45:10.836-07:002017-07-09T03:45:10.836-07:00Opening the door to more undergraduates (which I a...Opening the door to more undergraduates (which I assume most people agree was a good thing).<br /><br />No, a lot of us do not think this is a good thing. pe51terhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01967023613826064039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-57966719937322317962017-07-09T03:43:48.278-07:002017-07-09T03:43:48.278-07:00I&#39;m not sure what you mean by &quot;Lidl versi...I&#39;m not sure what you mean by &quot;Lidl version of higher education&quot;. If you mean &quot;lower quality education&quot; then you have never shopped at Lidl. If you mean &quot;cheaper education whilst maintaining quality&quot; then that&#39;s good, isn&#39;t it??pe51terhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01967023613826064039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-51225737343991660172017-02-23T06:25:01.217-08:002017-02-23T06:25:01.217-08:00Because of the &quot;look inside&quot; feature of ...Because of the &quot;look inside&quot; feature of Amazon we can read the whole of Chapter 1 for free. But we don&#39;t need to because the reference to Chrismas Eve appears in thew second paragraph.<br /><br /><br />My interpretation would be that it feels (to Mr Battlebury) like Christmas Eve because it is Friday evening and his last opportunity to buy last minute presents - Christmas Day being Sunday and assuming that he doesn&#39;t work on Saturday. <br /><br /> Peter Chapmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-46104956020431622482017-02-08T10:23:16.026-08:002017-02-08T10:23:16.026-08:00Hang on, symphonic social science? They suggest th...Hang on, symphonic social science? They suggest that we &quot;[draw] together descriptive assemblages of data drawn from multiple and asymmetric data sources to make claims about deep causal relationships&quot;. So we pick whatever data we want to support our argument, and the science consists of <i>making claims</i>... isn&#39;t this (sadly) what much of today&#39;s sociology already <i>is</i> (often called &quot;theory&quot;)?Didiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-69868653190818555812017-02-08T09:57:02.918-08:002017-02-08T09:57:02.918-08:00Thanks for sharing these! Is there an end, I wonde...Thanks for sharing these! Is there an end, I wonder? I was going to suggest the equivalent to Cage&#39;s 4&#39;33&quot;, but that&#39;s already been done (though not in the name of sociology): Upper, Dennis. 1974. ‘The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case Of “writer’s Block”’. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 7 (3): 497. doi:10.1901/jaba.1974.7-497a.<br />Didiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-81755174479330662762017-01-18T06:13:02.466-08:002017-01-18T06:13:02.466-08:00Yes, it read to me like it was written by a bunch ...Yes, it read to me like it was written by a bunch of people desperately trying to avoid talking about the elephant in the room: the implications of human variability for case selection.Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03430614811751115687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-24296887540484097142017-01-17T14:28:34.686-08:002017-01-17T14:28:34.686-08:00The &quot;content&quot; of the paper is even &quot...The &quot;content&quot; of the paper is even &quot;better&quot;: 14 apparently well-known authors all refusing to give an answer on a couple of pages each (the closest we get is: one who outlines what he or she did in one of her own studies without discussing whether this was good; and one who says 30 to 50 are a common but wrong answer; and one saying that with the resources available he or she managed 35 interviews or so).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-65056224769090538412016-12-22T03:54:59.293-08:002016-12-22T03:54:59.293-08:00His name is actually Glen BatemanHis name is actually Glen BatemanFlip Flapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03478170750493181994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-56592431305584399782016-12-22T03:53:59.967-08:002016-12-22T03:53:59.967-08:00In Stephen King&#39;s The Stand there is a sociolo...In Stephen King&#39;s The Stand there is a sociologist named Stuart RedmanFlip Flapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03478170750493181994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-73783949382688873742016-12-16T13:50:34.527-08:002016-12-16T13:50:34.527-08:00I just tried, and got &quot;I know the UK just as ...I just tried, and got &quot;I know the UK just as well as people in the UK.&quot; for guessing better than the UK on 10 out of 11 questions. In the &quot;ranking&quot; this led to #1 above the Netherlands, yet still the &quot;as well as people in the UK&quot;. So I guess the text is somehow relating to the country ranking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-29365580934870357612016-11-24T08:43:27.711-08:002016-11-24T08:43:27.711-08:00My own experience as a former frequent user was th...My own experience as a former frequent user was that post move things just got a damn sight harder to find, Eurostat hard. There was almost a wilfully sadistic aspect to the frequent redesigns.Primula Monkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289100326536298640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-1174466733223612092016-11-24T01:57:00.419-08:002016-11-24T01:57:00.419-08:00I think I can shed some light on this, having gain...I think I can shed some light on this, having gained some insight into the weird and wonderful world of government statistics.<br /><br />Apart from the relocation to Newport, which is almost inevitably devastating for such an institution, it seems to me that statistical offices have a preference for technical skills over substantive knowledge about specific issues as the former are more easily transferrable between departments and projects. Sometimes very embarrasing things happen when very technically competent people try to estimate things they don&#39;t know the first thing about.<br /><br />Secondly, I suspect that the ONS budget has been squeezed since the onset of the Great Recession, leading to work intensification and leaving people with less time to read up on things and (probably more importantly) less time to double check their work and get colleagues to review it.<br /><br />Not that it excuses anything. I imagine that in terms of resources the ONS is a paradise in comparison to Statistics Iceland, which runs on a skeleton crew.Kolbeinnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-12469892212149078742016-11-14T05:09:28.532-08:002016-11-14T05:09:28.532-08:00What is self-evident to you - they&#39;re all in i...What is self-evident to you - they&#39;re all in it for what they can get - is not self-evident to me. <br /><br />A few expense fraudsters in Westminster doesn&#39;t amount to evidence that they are all corrupt, just as a drop of whiskey in a dictator&#39;s decanter doesn&#39;t mean that no children got a primary education or a vaccination.<br /><br />People have complicated mixtures of idealistic and baser motives. But if someone or something - for example the larger part of the English tabloid press - continually push the &quot;they&#39;re all in it together&quot; line, I immediately want to to ask why they are so keen that I should believe this? What&#39;s in it for them?Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03430614811751115687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-50184262212139647512016-11-11T13:46:43.568-08:002016-11-11T13:46:43.568-08:00People don&#39;t trust the liberal left because as...People don&#39;t trust the liberal left because as much as the goals may seem humane or even &quot;right on&quot; the public have cottoned on that the reality often entails special pleading, rent seeking and personal enrichment. Racism and inequality is allegedly rife, the race card is played with reckless frequency anywhere and everywhere, but the result always seems to involve money and influence flowing to those who play it, not those they purport to represent. Question this and the default is to loop back round and play the card even more aggressively. <br /><br />The narratives have become perpetual grievance and entitlement which is convenient for commercial sustainability, if anything gets better then it&#39;s not a good thing it is just a cause to reinterpret or find new and innovative forms of oppression and inequality on which to develop new revenue streams. <br /><br />We commit significant sums to overseas aid and it all looks very altruistic, but who actually benefits apart from well spoken middle class people who get an exciting paid holiday, and the pockets of local tin pot strongmen?<br /><br />Post truth isn&#39;t a right wing thing. It&#39;s a feature of modern liberal democracy. When everyone is working an angle it&#39;s hard to find moral high ground!Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08204174267833645562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-15671242455083386482016-09-09T13:01:12.092-07:002016-09-09T13:01:12.092-07:00Anyone who does not have access to your library ca...Anyone who does not have access to your library can get the book here:<br /><br />http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/wallas/humannature.pdf<br /><br /><br />Peter Chapmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-62207506739153744682016-06-14T01:32:49.079-07:002016-06-14T01:32:49.079-07:00Indeed. Though I think it is even worse than that....Indeed. Though I think it is even worse than that. Good journalism is at least as valuable in its own way as social science. There is a lot of sociology though (I&#39;m not really qualified to speak about the other social sciences) that would neither qualify as competent social science nor competent journalism.<br /><br />A basic requirement is that even if what it is about is complicated - as it well might be - it can be explained in language that a decently educated person can understand. All fields have their jargon or shorthand, but if Feynman can explain quantum electrodynamics to non-scientists then a sociologist should be able to explain their work to a lay public. My intuition is that if they were to do so, in many cases there would be nothing left to explain. <br /><br />No product, no payment. Bullshit survives because it is the bullshitters direct interest to be as obscure as possible and in the interests of the consumers and fellow travelers to pretend to understand it. In a way it is like a religious liturgy. All the faithful join in on the responses even though they have no idea what it actually means, everyone feels good afterwards and everyone feigns shock at the blasphemy if anyone questions it.<br /><br />&quot;How does he hold those notes so long?<br />He must be a genius. Wrong!<br />He just has the mindlessness to do it.&quot;<br />Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03430614811751115687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-68927917030708724892016-06-13T13:47:45.409-07:002016-06-13T13:47:45.409-07:00There is social science and there&#39;s plenty of ...There is social science and there&#39;s plenty of glorified journalism pretending to be the former.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-66006240932749671452016-05-04T10:55:06.495-07:002016-05-04T10:55:06.495-07:00Dr. McCutcheon was one of my professors in the SRA...Dr. McCutcheon was one of my professors in the SRAM program at UNL. He was such a kind, generous person who truly wanted his students to succeed. He headed the Gallup Research Group, enabling students to have access to Gallup World Poll data, but more importantly, to have access to him and his brilliant mind.<br /><br />I am truly saddened by his untimely passing and my sincere condolences go out to his family and friends. Dr. McCutcheon had a deep impact on my professional life, and I know I would not be where I am today without his guidance. I will forever be indebted to him for that.<br />Jill Heesenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-59406134053421725172016-05-04T07:41:51.997-07:002016-05-04T07:41:51.997-07:00My daughter was a student in the SRAM graduate pro...My daughter was a student in the SRAM graduate program that Dr. McCutcheon taught in. He was not only well respected by his students, he was well loved, as well. Not only a great scholar, but a truly great human being as well. He will be missed. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-73431248679503258102016-01-24T00:08:35.817-08:002016-01-24T00:08:35.817-08:00As a member of Joe Public who has read the book an...As a member of Joe Public who has read the book and failed to think of any criticisms myself, I enjoyed this read. Thanks for helping me realise that the equality debate is slightly more complex than Pickett and Wilkinson make out.<br /><br />Can I ask how the seminar went? Have there been any written rebuttals to the criticisms you make here?Joseph Mastershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16591929133117431947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-90615462157797369622015-11-27T17:32:38.566-08:002015-11-27T17:32:38.566-08:00Good to see someone picking up on the comedy value...Good to see someone picking up on the comedy value of the GBCS - gives it some kind of purpose. Interestingly, I did it twice and jumped from technical middle to elite, merely it would appear on the basis of a modest pay rise. What nonsense. Then again, one of the team is now running a business school, so maybe it is just all about the money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-18251345437409983132015-11-08T11:39:39.991-08:002015-11-08T11:39:39.991-08:00Peggy was my fathers cousin on his mothers side. H...Peggy was my fathers cousin on his mothers side. His cousin on his fathers side was an SOE operative and was awarded Krigskorset med Sverd for his actions in Norway during ww2. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-84777785660796718492015-11-05T15:50:59.117-08:002015-11-05T15:50:59.117-08:00My copy downloaded to my kindle today. Haven&#39;t...My copy downloaded to my kindle today. Haven&#39;t gotten to the good stuff yet. Kolbeinnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-78703542373992058602015-10-13T01:32:38.353-07:002015-10-13T01:32:38.353-07:00I believe so.I believe so.Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03430614811751115687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210395876281973177.post-1100037936344409472015-10-12T12:56:23.905-07:002015-10-12T12:56:23.905-07:00Was one of the sons the statistician Professor Hen...Was one of the sons the statistician Professor Henry Wynn.pe51terhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01967023613826064039noreply@blogger.com